


February Thirteenth

by colormyheartred



Series: february thirteenth [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Secret Relationship, also kind of quirky, and pretend secret dates that might be dates after all, and pretend secret dating, kind of slow burn???, there's secret dating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-09-14 20:19:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9200687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colormyheartred/pseuds/colormyheartred
Summary: After a trip around the world, Emma returns home to Storybrooke, unprepared to be suddenly entwined in Killian Jones’ life thanks to Ruby’s constant meddling, and her dad’s insistence that Killian is off limits.





	

Ruby Lucas is by definition a meddler.

She’s the reason Emma works at Granny’s, she’s the reason Killian sits in the corner booth alone every morning at 7:00, and she’s the reason Emma holds an unending grudge regarding the morning of February thirteenth.

But that’s not how the story starts.

It starts with Emma Nolan driving through Storybrooke, Maine and bumping into Killian Jones on the sidewalk outside of Granny’s Diner not fifteen minutes into her forced stop in the tiny town.

Actually, the story starts a long time before that, during a time where Emma was dating a Class A asshole named Neal, but that’s less important.

Killian’s carrying a paper cup filled with steaming hot coffee when she bumps into him and the only reason she knows is because it splashes straight out of the cup and onto her favorite sweater.

“Oh, bloody hell,” he immediately blurts out. “I am so, so sorry, love.”

Emma, too shell-shocked to say anything, stares at the dashingly handsome man before her. He’s a few years her senior, with perfectly white teeth and bright blue eyes. He has a beard, or the starting of one, and his hair is perfectly fluffy she wonders _how_.

He grimaces at the mess he’s made of her favorite sweater and that’s when Emma snaps to it, looking away from the handsome shape of his face and straight down at her chest.

“It’s fine,” Emma sighs. “Just another problem to solve.”

He looks guilty- beyond guilty actually, and immediately he tilts his head backward. “Allow me to buy you breakfast at least. I feel terrible I’ve ruined your shirt.”

Emma opens her mouth, ready to refuse, but her stomach growls and she’s never been one to forfeit free food, so she just says, “Okay.”

That’s how she ends up sitting with Killian Jones in his favorite corner booth. He explains that he’s sorry about a dozen times before she holds up her hand and shakes her head.

“So are you crazy or just nice?”

He laughs and his cheeks and the tips of his ears burn red. “Ah… I like to think I’m rather chivalrous.”

Emma arches a challenging eyebrow. “Well, I’m no damsel in distress, Prince Charming. Just passing through on my way down to Portland.”

He appears taken aback by that, a frown filling his lips. “Oh.”

And just like that, he takes to fidgeting with the empty, ruined paper cup he has set on the table.

If Emma were younger, she’d probably be taken with him. He’s handsome and he seems kind. He seems funny. But she’s been hurt and part of her still needs to heal from that.

Maybe coming in here with him was a bad idea.

“Emma?” Ruby’s voice practically shrills in her ear.

Emma turns, pulling on a forced smile when the girl comes to the head of the table. “Hey, Rubes.”

Ruby shakes her head. “You’ve been gone for, what, four years? I’m glad you’re back!”

At the same time, Killian watches the encounter, obviously confused. “Now, hold on just a moment, you know each other?”

Emma looks over at her companion and while she could explain, Ruby takes the opportunity to do it herself.

“Emma grew up here. She’s Sheriff Nolan’s daughter.”

And there it is- the crème de le crème, the World’s Best Kept Secret. She’s town royalty and it’s not exactly something she’d wanted to advertise to someone she just met on her brief stop in town.

Actually, she just wanted to find the little stash of emergency cash she’d hidden in Granny’s bathroom and not even stop to talk to anyone. Her parents knowing she’s back in town is probably what she’s least worried about, considering the fact that everyone knows who she is.

Killian holds open his mouth and nods slowly. “Ah.” He seems embarrassed, his cheeks pinker than they were before. “Well… that kind of makes me into an idiot.”

“No,” Emma insists. “You couldn’t have known, and you probably wouldn’t have if I just went to do my thing out there-”

With a glimpse down at her soiled top, Emma already feels regret rising within her all over again.

She _really_ should’ve just been rude and declined him the chance of knowing her.

Ruby smirks at her when she looks back up at the waitress. She lifts her eyebrows, obviously gesturing toward Killian with a slight tilt of her head. Emma rolls her eyes in a form of silent disapproval.

“So… you’re sticking around this time right?” Ruby wonders.

Emma hesitates. “I was just going to Portland following up on a lead for work-”

“You could work here,” Ruby insists. “You and I both know your parents miss you. Granny would hire you in a heartbeat.” She spins on her heel. “Granny! Guess who’s home!”

“Is it that no good Scarlet boy? I’ve already told him he can get lost.”

“No, it’s Emma!”

“Emma?” Granny gasps. “Where is she?”

“Up here.” Ruby gestures dramatically at the table and Emma blushes when the elderly woman comes to see her.

“Emma, I didn’t know you were coming home.” Granny looks across the table at Killian and raises her eyebrows. “Oh, and you’ve already found my favorite piece of eye candy I see.”

Killian laughs once. “Granny, please.”

The elderly woman chuckles and holds out her arms. “C’mere. Let me get a look at you, darlin’.”

Emma stands up and braces herself for Granny’s examination. She presses her fingers to Emma’s cheeks and then wraps her arms around her tight.

“I’m so glad you’re back. Tell me you’re here to stay.”

“I was just talking to her about a job here, Granny.” Ruby perks up, making Emma shoot her a look that she just smiles at.

“Oh, well if you want a job you have it.” Granny says.

Emma stares at Granny and then at Ruby and then, inexplicably at Killian, who knows just about as much as the paper cup he keeps picking at.

Caught in between a rock and a hard place, Emma Nolan makes a choice she’d probably later regret. She says, “Okay.”

///

There are a lot of things Emma never thought she’d have to see again, one of those being the baby pictures hanging along the staircase leading up to her childhood bedroom.

Her parents are _thrilled_ , practically clinging to her and begging to know how her life has been. Emma just smiles and tries to suppress the way her heart races with anxiousness.

“I went across the country,” Emma tells them. “And I visited Japan and China and I went to England for a little bit.” She thinks back on her travels with fondness and her parents, who have never stepped foot out of this tiny town, seem so eager to know even more. “But I’ll have to just tell you about it all later.”

Her mother bobs her head. “Yes. Yes, of course. David, why don’t you take Emma’s things up to her room? Emma, are you hungry? Can I make you anything? I just found a recipe for hot chocolate that involves melted chocolate bars.”

Emma laughs. She watches her father pick up the bags she’d dragged into the home, still feeling a little skittish.

“Um… no, I’m good. I just was at Granny’s.”

Her mother nods in understanding. “Well, why don’t you come with me? I have to show you my new appliances. The fridge has a drawer just for cheese. Dad _loves_ it.”

Emma chuckles. “Okay.”

She follows her mother through the familiar halls of the home she’d grown up in. Her mother’s shoes click against the hardwood floors, and she’s dressed as if she was on her way to work.

She has gray in her hair now, and there are wrinkles in places she’s never seen them before. Her parents are getting old and she’s been gone long enough to see it clearly.

Maybe it’s time to stop running, even though this is the last place she wants to be.

“Have you seen anyone else?” her mother wonders as they enter the open kitchen.

“Granny and Ruby,” Emma shrugs. “Leroy was at the diner, but I don’t know if he saw me.”

Her mom laughs and pauses when the house phone rings. She goes to it and shakes a hand at it. “They can leave a message.”

“No, it’s okay,” Emma insists. “I’ll just hang out here.”

She gestures to the new leather sofa perched in the living room and her mom hesitates before she grabs the phone.

“Nolan residence,”

Emma has to roll her eyes a little, a smile curling at her lips as she flops down on the couch like she’s a teenager home from college. She grabs the throw pillow by her feet and picks at the tassels hanging off of the end.

“Oh, hi Killian.” Her mother pauses and laughs. “Yes, he’s here. He was about to leave but we had a surprise visitor this morning. He should be on his way in a few minutes.” She pauses again. “Mm. Yes. Okay. Thanks, Killian. Bye.”

Emma hears her mother hang up the phone and bites on her lip as her footsteps approach the back of the couch.

“Who was that?” Emma wonders.

“Oh, you don’t know him do you?” her mother smiles, looking down at Emma from behind the couch. “Killian Jones. He’s new to town.”

“Why does he want Dad?”

“Because he works at the station. It’s a new position- something about the shipments coming in at the docks. I don’t really know much about it.”

Emma hums. She thinks back on the stupidly attractive man she’d run into this morning and her mother, coincidentally, glances down at her sweater.

“Oh, no, what happened here?”

Emma sighs. “Nothing. I just ran into someone who was carrying coffee. No big deal.”

“Mmm.” Her mother shakes her head. “Well, make yourself at home, okay? I have to go to work. I have a meeting with Leroy at eight thirty and I’m already running late.” She leans over the couch and kisses her forehead. “Glad you’re home, kiddo.”

Emma hums happily.

Her mother walks away just as her father’s footsteps come into the room. She hears them exchange a brief goodbye before her father comes to the spot her mother had just left.

“What do you think?” he asks.

Emma raises an eyebrow. “What do I think about what?”

“Want to come join me on patrol?”

Emma flashes a grin. “Hell yeah.”

///

It’s been their thing ever since Emma could walk. She joins him on his patrol, driving around town while he listens to the scanner.

There’s not much that goes wrong in Storybrooke, so most of the time he doesn’t have anything to respond to, but on the occasion that there is something he needs to go Sheriff, she gets to turn on the lights and siren, and she begs him to go faster.

Today, though, it’s as quiet as it’s ever been.

Around lunchtime, they park out by the town line and her father asks her to grab the lunchbox from the floor. Inside, there are two sandwiches, a bag of chips, and a pair of cookies.

“Just like old times,” Emma smiles.

“Mmmhmm,” her father grabs the sandwich she extends for him.

They munch in silence for a while. Emma watches the wildlife dancing at the end of the tree line and sets her eyes on a pair of birds that seem to be talking in the branches.

“So, just so we’re clear, Lieutenant Jones is off limits.”

Emma’s eyes widen slightly as she turns to look at her father. “Who?”

Her father winks at her as he pops a chip into his mouth. He sighs and shifts in his seat to get more comfortable.

“He just started working in the department a few months ago and everyone in town seems to be infatuated with him. But I happen to know his record and before he made rank, he did a stint in juvie, so I don’t want him anywhere near you.”

Emma gives him a look and laughs. “Dad.”

“What? Have you met him?”

“I just think it’s kind of hilarious that _you_ of all people in this town are being so hard on the guy,” Emma says. “You always let Leroy off with a warning.”

Her father hums. “Leroy’s part of your mother’s family. I’m not going to arrest him for the stunts he tries.”

Emma licks her lips and sighs. “I ran into him this morning as soon as I came to town. He was leaving Granny’s with a coffee and it ruined my sweater.”

“Ah,”

“But I’m not going to start dating him.” Emma informs her dad.

He raises an eyebrow. “Well, you’ve already had your pick of the town and I don’t see a ring on your finger…” He makes a face. “Mom is going to wonder sooner or later. So I’m letting you know now that Lieutenant Jones is-”

“Off limits.” Emma finishes. “Copy that, Sheriff.”

He gives her a worried look. “It’s not just his record, Em. It’s… what happened, before. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Her heart swells and she drops her hands in her lap. “Oh, well… thanks, Dad. I think I can take care of myself, though.”

The man sighs. “Just what every father likes to hear.”

///

So, here’s the thing about Killian Jones that Emma learns on her first day working at Granny’s: he’s popular.

He can barely get through a bite of his eggs and hash browns without someone approaching his table, or winking at him from across the room, or a text message coming through.

He’s somehow drawn the attention of everyone in town and according to Ruby; he’s only been here for three months.

Ruby keeps staring at him from just about every angle in the room and he keeps on winking at her as if they’re in on some secret. It’s a little more than suspicious, knowing Ruby.

Emma ends up cornering her by the kitchen window while they wait for orders to come up, a little more than curious about what the hell is going on.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

Ruby arches an eyebrow. “What?”

“You keep looking at that guy that spilled coffee on me.”

“Killian,” Ruby says. Emma nods. “Yeah. He’s… handsome, don’t you think?”

Emma hums. She grabs a plate that comes out for her. “In all of the years I’ve known you, you have never just _stared_ at a guy you thought was handsome. You go… work your Ruby magic or something and within a week you’re caught half-naked in Anton’s field.”

Ruby snorts. “That happened once, Emma. Get your facts straight.” She shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know. I’m not as interested, I guess.” Something makes her eyes light up as she grabs a plate that comes out for her. “Hey, I bet you twenty bucks that you won’t go talk to him.”

Emma gives her a look. “He’s my table. This is his order.”

Ruby shrugs. “You won’t sit down and get to know him. That’s not you. You like to get in and get out. Walls up, heart guarded. That’s Emma Nolan’s style.”

Emma, offended, gives Ruby a hard look. “You know what, okay, you’re on. I’m going to go talk to him.”

Ruby grins wolfishly. “I’ll raise you a hundred if you get him to ask you out and you actually stay together.”

Emma grimaces and groans. “Ruby, really?”

“I just want you to be happy, Em.”

And with that, Ruby goes to deliver a plate to Victor Whale and Emma goes to the corner booth to visit one Killian Jones.

She weighs the options and decides in a heartbeat that she’s absolutely not interested in the hundred, though she’ll settle for the twenty.

“So what gives?” Emma asks, plopping herself down across from him.

Killian lifts his eyebrows. He takes a bite of his breakfast and a sip of coffee before asking, “What?”

Emma watches him wave at someone across the room and she laughs once. “That. What’s that about?”

Killian shakes his head. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know why you’re popular.”

He smiles wryly at her. “Darling, I take it as a complement.”

Emma hums curiously. She glances over at the patrons in the diner and back at Killian. “Are you single? Is that why people keep trying to win you over?”

“If I was, would you be interested?” he wonders, narrowing his eyes playfully.

Emma chooses not to respond. Instead, she checks her watch for the time. “And you’re always here at the same time. 7:00. And you leave at 7:50.”

Killian’s smirk is just as teasing as it is flirtatious. “I’m a man of habit, love. I don’t know why you’re questioning me like your father might.”

She tilts her head at him. “I’m not interrogating you.”

“You said it, not me.” Killian has a sip of coffee. He lifts up to grab his wallet from his left back pocket and he sets it on the table. “I’m single, and that fact was spread by one Ruby Lucas, who made a bet with me that I sit in this spot for an entire month from 7:00 until ‘round 8:00, in exchange for her silence on a matter that I cannot and will not disclose with anyone. She’s also promised that she’d set me up on a date, but I don’t know if it’ll actually happen. For now, I’m eye candy for anyone who wishes to come see me at 7AM at Granny’s Diner on any given day of the week.”

Emma almost groans. She drops her shoulders and shakes her head slowly. “Ruby Lucas, I swear to God…” She sighs. “I’m sorry. I can talk to her- get you out of this.”

Killian wrinkles his forehead and sips his coffee. His tongue darts out to catch what remains on his lips and he shakes his head. “Don’t. I can’t find that I mind it when I get to see a certain waitress every day.”

Emma gives Killian a look. “You don’t even know me. You just spilled coffee on me last week.”

He shrugs and pulls on a grin. “Doesn’t mean I don’t find you delightful company.”

He has one of those infamous looks on his face- some might call it _dashing_ ; she just thinks it’s ridiculous.

Emma narrows her eyes at him. “So what did Ruby catch you doing?”

Killian shrugs, both his shoulders and his eyebrows. He leans in close and widens his eyes slightly. “Can’t say. And won’t say, actually.”

He leans back and pulls a ten-dollar bill out of his wallet. He settles it on the table by his plate and checks his watch. “Don’t mean to be rude, darling, but I’ll be late to work if I spend any more time with you.”

Emma hums. “Did you trip on your own feet and she saw?”

Killian sips the rest of his coffee and stands up. He takes a breath and leans in close, winking, as he says quickly, “No.”

He leaves just as quickly as he says it, walking backwards so he can wink at her once more on his way out. “Good guess though.”

Emma sighs and grabs his plate and mug from the table. She takes his bill and cash and walks it over to the cash register where Ruby stands.

“What’d you catch him doing?” Emma all but demands.

Ruby laughs once. “Nothing.”

“Right,” Emma scoffs. “That’s not what he says.”

Ruby lifts her eyebrows playfully. “I’m sworn to secrecy, Emma, I don’t know what to tell ya.”

Emma sighs. “Right.”

Ruby hands her a twenty-dollar bill and grins at her. “So, do I hear wedding bells?”

“Not in a million years, Rubes.”

“Mmm. We’ll see about that.”

///

Emma’s mother is a founding member of a society in town that meets once a month in a rotation of locations to talk about the regency period and drink tea and eat biscuits while wearing ridiculously floofy dresses and hats.

On the night that Emma Nolan goes for a jog by the harbor, she’s avoiding this meeting of classical nerds that happen to be meeting in her parent’s living room.

It’s only been a few weeks since she’s been home, and she hasn’t been able to settle on an apartment yet, so she’s crashing in her childhood bedroom while she saves up some money.

Her mom doesn’t mind in the least. Emma thinks she just really likes getting to have excuses to bake more sweets and her dad likes making her piles of pancakes every morning, even though she doesn’t eat them.

She’s listening to music as she runs a loop around Storybrooke. The sun is setting on the horizon and the January air is cold. It’s not ideal weather for a run, but at least the sidewalks and roads are cleared of snow and it hasn’t really been too icy this winter.

Her hair is in a ponytail, swishing against her back as her feet pound against the cement sidewalks and pavement roads. She turns onto the dock just in time to catch the sun setting through the sails of the ships and she slows to a stop upon seeing one Killian Jones staring straight at her.

He’s standing on the bridge of a ship, one of the biggest in Storybrooke’s harbor, and his grin is spread wide. Emma tilts her head at him, breathing hard as she squints at the man. She pulls her ear buds from her ears.

“Well, good evening,” Killian says cheerfully. “I was beginning to think you didn’t know Storybrooke had a harbor.”

Emma scoffs. She holds her hand up over her eyes to see him clearer. “Yeah, well, I just don’t get down here very often.”

He hums and tilts his head back. “What do you say, love? Could I treat you to a ride around the harbor?”

Emma almost declines, but she thinks about what’s waiting for her as soon as she finishes her run and grimaces. “Yeah.”

She climbs the gangplank and eyes him curiously. “So are you a cop or a sailor?”

He shrugs. “Bit of both. Come here. I’ll teach you.”

He gestures for her to stand by him and she relents, going straight up to the spot by the wheel.

“Okay, show me the ropes.”

So he does, explaining the mechanics until he takes her hand and holds it on the wheel itself. He’s warm, and he smells like coffee, standing beside her so close.

In an instant, she becomes desperate to break the intimate tension and bites down on her lip while she thinks about something to say.

“I don’t believe for one minute that you’re the _captain_ of a ship in Storybrooke _and_ a police officer.”

He gives her a completely offended look. “I am.”

“Show me your badge or ID or something. I need proof.”

“Hold on one moment.”

And suddenly _she’s_ captain of the ship while he hurries below deck to grab his piece of evidence.

There’s a breeze out at sea, a delicate thing that lifts her loose strands of hair and cools her skin. It’s peaceful out here. There’s no one to ask her what her plans are for her life out here. There’s just the chilly winter air, the sea, and, well, Killian.

He returns from below deck with a triumphant, “Here’s the proof you wanted, lass. Right here, Captain Killian Jones of _The Jewel of the Realm_.”

Emma gives him a skeptical look until he’s beside her and she has a letter in her hand addressed to Captain Killian Jones of _The Jewel of the Realm_.

“Fine,” she sighs. “You’re the _Captain_.”

He grins as if he’d needed this affirmation from her, and it makes Emma roll her eyes as he grabs hold of the wheel and she steps away. She finds herself standing at the side, watching the last of the rays of the sun fade below the horizon.

“I was drunk,” Killian says suddenly. Emma raises her eyebrows as she turns toward him. “Ruby caught me drunk proposing to a lamp post in town a few weeks back.”

Emma can’t keep the laughter from bubbling past her lips. “Seriously?”

Killian’s smile is self-depreciating. He shakes his head once. “I also happened to be in naught but my underwear. Your father had quite a bit to say about that.”

She continues laughing, mostly at the image she sees in her mind’s eye, of her father filling out paperwork while a drunk Killian sat mostly naked in his office.

“Aye. I’m a bit of a mess, if you ask me.”

Emma laughs again and steps closer to him. “Well, I’m sure whatever girl she’s going to set you up on a date with will be basically the equivalent to your beloved lamp post. Maybe she’ll even talk.”

Killian laughs this time and shakes his head. “I don’t know. I don’t really think I _want_ Ruby setting me up with anyone.”

She hums in agreement. “Yeah… could get a little weird. Trust me, I was her test dummy through high school.”

They share a laugh and Emma bites down on her lip as she finds herself staring at him to just stare at him.

Her father’s words, begging her to stay away from him, ring in her ears.

She knows her parents want the best future for her- they’ve always supported every ridiculous decision, even running away in the middle of the night after senior year was over. They just called and asked her to check in every once and awhile and they gave her money to get her started.

She’s almost too lucky and she almost wishes she wasn’t. Well, lucky in almost every area except for _this_ \- love, relationships.

The thought of her past stings and she recoils a little, taking a step back as she lowers her gaze to the deck.

Killian clears his throat. “I decided to come here from England after my brother kicked me out of the house. Said something about getting too old for living at home, and so I came here to prove myself.”

Emma hums, managing to look up at him. “I see.”

He tilts his head to the side thoughtfully. “You seem… upset. I don’t know. You don’t seem content.”

She lifts her eyebrows in a challenge. “How could you possibly know that?”

“You’re something of an open book.” A grin spreads on his face. “So tell me, Emma, what’s going on under the surface?”

Emma takes in a deep breath and licks her lips. “Um…” She reaches up to grab the swan pendant hanging from the necklace wrapped around her neck. “I don’t know. I don’t really talk about…”

Emma pauses and holds her breath. Killian stares back at her, not trying to push her into saying anything. He’s clearly just interested in knowing.

“My parents aren’t my- I was adopted. I was two years old. They found me in the foster system and decided to keep me after taking me in for eight months.” She smiles softly. “I guess I’ve always just wondered where I’m actually from is all.”

Killian frowns. “I’d heard you went off the grid for a long time. I guess I didn’t think it was for that reason.”

Emma nods. “Yeah. It’s kind of tough, growing up knowing at the back of your mind that you don’t belong to these people. They love me so much it’s overwhelming, but sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and-” She pauses, turning her gaze to the stars. “I see how lost I am.”

They stand in silence. Emma folds her arms against her chest and a chill goes down her spine.

After a moment of contemplation, a tear finds it’s way out of her right eye and she wipes at it, suddenly needing forced strength. She spins around and crosses her arms.

“Nice night, huh?”

Killian seems thoughtful. He nods. “Aye.”

They stare at one another. She knows the moment isn’t over, no matter how much she wants it to be. She kind of just wants to get off of his boat and get back home in time to catch her mom and her friends watching Pride and Prejudice together.

“My father left us when I was five,” he admits with a sad smile. “So I know how you feel.”

It’s the reason Emma decides to stay. Maybe they’re more alike than she first thought.

“Do you have wild stories you can tell me about the life of a sailor?” she asks, eyes alight with teasing.

Killian holds his mouth open, studying her. “Ah… I think I might, actually.”

She spends a few hours listening to Killian’s stupid stories and neither of them cares at all that they’re so completely ridiculous that they’re obviously made up. They just keep laughing as they sit on the deck of Killian’s ship and she thinks she gets lost one too many times in the blue of his eyes, but she doesn’t care about that either.

It’s the one of the best nights she’s ever shared with anyone.

///

Emma’s father wears leather jackets and sometimes he wears sunglasses, but today he doesn’t. He walks into the diner with a bright smile and she goes to him, tilting her head as he laughs warmly at her.

“Dad, we just had, like, a hundred pancakes. You should be stuffed.”

He shakes his head. “I’m actually here to talk to you about something.”

It’s 7:15 and she needs to be working, but her father is the sheriff and he’s one of Granny’s closest friends, so she’s sure she’ll be forgiven.

However, she’s not sure she’ll be forgiven the second she realizes her father is sitting her down at Killian’s booth.

He’s _late_ and Ruby’s going to probably explode or something if he doesn’t show up. She’s not sure about the circumstances of their bet- if it’ll end in blackmail or if Ruby’ll send a chain email out to everyone in town, or if they’ll put it on public access. She’s not sure.

Her mother enters the diner as she contemplates whether or not she should make a bet with Ruby to call off the bet with Killian, for his own sanity. She immediately goes to a crowded table, filled with women from her book club, and Emma smiles slightly at the giddy cheers.

“I want to hire you,” her father says, ripping her out of the Ruby and Killian drama in her mind and the attention she’s giving the Jane Austen Book Club.

“You- what?”

Her father laughs kindly. “You have the skills to be an officer and I want to bring you on. Part time, at night, so you can keep this job at the diner. I think… your mother and I think it’s a good stepping-stone. I mean, it’s a new year, and you were just saying the other night that you want to do something productive.”

Emma nods slowly. “I did say that.”

“Yeah, and you know, if police work isn’t for you, and you’d rather just keep exploring, you can do that.”

Emma manages a smile. “I’d like that.”

Her father beams back at her. “Great. Then we’ll get started tonight. Come by around three.”

Emma nods. Her father gets out of the booth and leans down to kiss her on the top of her head. “Love you, Emma.”

“Love you too, Dad.”

She watches as he leaves the diner at the very moment a very winded and late Killian Jones enters the building. He goes to the table she’s sitting at and slumps down.

“You’re late,” Emma says teasingly.

Killian drags his hands over his face. “Bloody alarm clock didn’t go off.” He licks his lips and slaps his hands onto the table. “Could I get a coffee please?”

Emma hums. “Coming right up.”

She goes behind the bar and grabs the coffee pot just as Ruby exits the kitchen. She peels on a smile and Emma mirrors her.

“Hey, Rubes.”

“Hey.” Ruby says breathlessly. She looks over at the corner booth and lifts her eyebrows, seeming surprised. “He’s late.”

Emma watches as a woman approaches the table and flirts with him. A shiver goes down her spine and she bites down on her lip.

“I really hope he just asks one of them out already,” Ruby groans a little. “The whole point of the bet was to get him a girlfriend. I mean, it should’ve happened already. He’s, like, Storybrooke’s most available bachelor. And he’s hot.” Ruby pauses, nibbling on her lower lip as she gazes at Killian Jones. “Sometimes, I feel intimidated by his hotness.”

Emma opens her mouth, feeling more shocked than anything. “So… he made a bet with you that you’d keep his secret, if you set him up with someone.”

“Well,” Ruby shrugs. “Kind of. I told him it was all part of a grander scheme and he just had to trust me. But, yeah. And I don’t know why he hasn’t just pulled the damn trigger already, God. I basically keep handing him girls’ numbers.”

Killian’s laughing with another girl now, one with red hair. She’s pretty, but somehow Emma can tell that Killian isn’t interested.

“Maybe he’s more old fashioned than that.” Emma suggests. She sets the coffee pot down and Ruby just shakes her head as Emma walks away.

She sets Killian’s coffee down and he reaches for it eagerly.

“Down boy,” Emma teases. “Its just coffee. Plenty more where that came from.”

Killian winks at her. “Aye, love.”

“So do you want your regular?”

“Mm, and could you throw in some bacon today?”

Emma nods. She thoughtfully stares at him and then slides into the booth across from him.

He lifts his eyebrows, silently asking a question.

“I know how to get you out of your bet with Ruby.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” Emma takes a breath, steadying herself.

“How do you know I want out of it?” he asks playfully. He glances around the diner and grins wryly at her. “I might like the attention.”

Emma gives him a look. “Trust me, you don’t like the attention. I don’t know how you deal with all of your adoring fans.”

He wriggles his eyebrows. “Practice.” He pauses and lifts his coffee cup to his lips. “So what is it you’d have me do?”

She takes a breath and releases it. “Well, first off, you have to go tell Ruby that you have a girlfriend.”

He narrows his eyes. “But I don’t have a girlfriend.”

Emma smiles slightly. “Right. That’s where I come in.”

He opens his mouth and nods slowly. “You want it to be a not-so-secret pretend secret that we’re dating so she’ll… continue meddling in our affairs? I don’t see why this will help matters though I’m flattered you’d like to be my secret girlfriend, love. I don’t think I’d mind it, actually.”

Her heart skips a beat, but she rolls her eyes to cover. She licks her lips and hesitates for a second.

“Ruby bet me a hundred dollars to start going out with you. And stay together for a while.”

“So you want to…”

“Not exactly,” Emma says. “I don’t want my parents knowing or anything,” No, her parents _can’t_ know or anything, actually. “But… I don’t know, if we just do stuff when Ruby’s around, maybe it would work. Fifty dollars richer and you don’t have to end up on a date with Ruby, who obviously set this whole thing up so you would.”

Killian seems hesitant. “I don’t know. It might just make her angry.”

Emma glances over her shoulder to find Ruby cleaning the bar. She looks up at Emma and smiles anxiously. Emma smiles in turn before turning back to Killian.

“I know her. This is definitely going to work.”

It definitely did not work, but that’s not something Emma would learn until February thirteenth, with ugly tears streaking down her cheeks while she sat helpless in the bathroom.

But that’s getting ahead of the story.

///

It turns out that pretend secret dating is a whole lot like not dating at all, which is great for Emma. She doesn’t really want to involve herself in a relationship right now, and she gets the added benefit of being allowed to tell people she is if they get on her about it.

Her parents, obviously, want to know exactly who he is and where he’s from, but Emma stays wry and doesn’t say anything.

Now that she’s started working at the sheriff’s department part-time, she spends a whole lot more time with Killian Jones, her best kept pretend secret.

Her job is simple and while she could be mad at her father for assigning it to her, she can’t blame him. Maybe it’s his way of getting back at her for those teenaged rants and sneaking out in the middle of the night to meet boys.

Regardless, she spends her afternoons sitting at a desk with her name on it- a gift from her mother, presented with a huge, proud grin- converting handwritten files from the dark ages to electronic copies.

Killian spends a lot of time at his desk too, which isn’t much of a surprise to her. He tends to throw his legs up on his desk while he plays spider solitaire. He keeps a toothpick in between his lips and he often hums under his breath a variety of 80s classics.

More times than she’d care to admit, she finds herself staring at him rather than doing work, and sometimes, he stares back, a wry grin on his lips while he drops his legs from his desk and pulls the toothpick out.

He glances over his shoulder to check on her father- he’s gone, left about an hour ago to do his rounds.

“You know, I’ve started to miss my morning interactions with you,” he says.

Emma gives him a look and snorts. “We’ve had a lot of inquiries about where the ‘fine piece of ass’ went, but I think we’re doing okay without you there everyday.”

Killian laughs. “Well, if I knew there would be such an uproar, I would never have taken a lover.”

Emma can’t help but laugh softly, a blush starting to creep up her neck toward her ears.

“Perhaps we should…” Killian pauses, making her look over at him again. He wheels his chair toward her and his fingers dance on the edge of her desk. “Go on a date sometime. To show her we’re not kidding. We’d have to plan a bit, to make sure she sees, but, I don’t know- might be fun?”

Emma holds her mouth open and laughs. “Killian, I’m not stupid.”

“I never said you were.”

“I’m not going to go on a date with you.”

“Why not?”

Emma presses her lips together and turns toward him. “Because I fell in love with a guy and he wasn’t who I thought he was, and I don’t feel like I’m strong enough to let myself be that vulnerable again.”

Killian searches her eyes. A tentative smile spreads on his lips and then falls away. “Well, then it’s not a date.” He straightens and grins. “In fact, I believe I’ve agreed to secretly pretend to secretly date you, Emma, so anything we happen to do together tonight would be purely a pretend secret date. And is it really a date if it’s both a secret _and_ pretend?”

She can’t help but laugh at the insanity. She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “Fine.”

Killian laughs triumphantly and taps his fingers on her desk rhythmically as he bows his head once. “I’ll text you the details, milady.”

Emma sighs and watches him wheel himself back to his desk.

She catches him looking at her a lot more after that.

///

Storybrooke has a dollar theater. It’s not very big, and it’s actually kind of a disaster zone, but apparently there have been renovations, so it’s up to snuff once again.

It’s where she and Killian go for their not-so-secret pretend secret date, and it’s where Ruby meets them, her wolfish grins spread wide in excitement.

“I can’t believe you guys _wanted_ me to third wheel,” Ruby teases.

Emma scoffs, turning to Killian, whose eyebrows dance as they walk toward the ticketing counter. She insists on buying her own ticket, but they split the cost of popcorn. She has M&Ms and sour gummies in her purse and Ruby says she brought something to drink.

They’re early to the movie at Killian’s insistence that Ruby should at least see them kind of flirting for a little while for her to buy the whole _dating_ thing.

Thankfully, no one else has arrived to see whatever this movie is, so when Emma sits down by Killian, she feels free to do as she pleases.

Killian’s holding the popcorn and he already keeps popping kernels into his mouth. Emma raises her eyebrows at him and plucks up a few of her own to munch on.

“So, like, how do you guys do this?” Ruby asks.

“Do what?” Emma asks, looking behind her at Ruby, who has decided that she should sit elsewhere for the movie.

“You know,” Ruby gestures with her hands. “ _Secret dating_. What have you done so far?”

Emma gives Ruby a dry look. “Rubes, I love you, but I’m not going to give you details on my love life.”

“Ugh,” Ruby groans, throwing her head back.

They sit in silence for a few moments and Emma pulls out her purse. She hands the sour gummies to Killian as if she knew he wanted them and he grins like a little kid before leaning over to dare a kiss to her temple.

Emma blushes. She can’t help it.

And then she tosses a few pieces of popcorn at him, making him laugh in a hearty sort of way. She joins him when he retaliates.

“Stop,” she whispers. “We can’t waste it.”

“Mm,” Killian agrees as he tears into the gummies with his teeth. He winks at her and Emma can’t help the flutter in her chest.

She eyes his candy just when a group of teenagers enter the theater and Killian shifts in his seat, shaking his head. “There’s that Peter lad. He’s been nothing but trouble this past month.”

Emma hums thoughtfully as she eyes the kids. “I think I saw his folder.”

Killian all but growls and it makes her smile a little, but she hides it behind a handful of popcorn.

“Do you guys just people watch? Is that how people secretly date around here?” Ruby wonders, making Emma roll her eyes.

She turns toward her and Killian does too.

“Listen, we invited you to the movie because Emma said you’d been on her about seeing it, and now you’re not even sitting with us, so if you’d please stay out of our _date_ , then we’d be very grateful.”

Emma smiles at him and nods in agreement. “Yeah, Ruby. Come on.”

Ruby sighs. She pulls a flask out of her purse and has a hard sip that leaves her squinting. “Whatever floats your boat. I’m just saying, you guys don’t seem like you’re on a date.”

They turn back around as the trailers start and Emma eyes Killian rather than the screen, contemplating something that makes her nervous.

She reaches over to take his hand, a slow and deliberate slide of her palm against his wrist up until hers rests against his. She tangles their fingers and in the semi-darkness, she sees him grinning.

“Oh my God, hand holding? Damn, slow down. You two are going too fast. Pretty soon, I’m going to be Auntie Rubes.”

Actually, yes, she would be Auntie Rubes, but not for a few years. That’s another story for another time.

Emma throws popcorn back over her head at Ruby and Killian does too, but they don’t let go of each other’s hand.

They don’t let go until the end of the movie, and by then, Ruby has abandoned them without saying a word.

“Well, what’d you think?” Killian asks as they toss their snacks into the trash bin outside of the theater.

Emma hums, her mind still half-dazed after sitting in a cozy dark theater, sitting with a boy she happens to kind of, maybe like just a little.

He flashes a grin at her and slows to a stop just in front of the exit doors.

“Of the movie,” he says.

Emma blinks and watches as he wraps her scarf around her neck. He adjusts her beanie on her head and slips his hands into his jacket pockets. There’s something so natural about him and her that it’s almost eerie.

“Oh, I thought it was… good. Kind of slow, but I liked that.”

Killian nods. “Aye. Maybe we should come back. I hear they’re getting new movies next week.”

“Ooh,” Emma grins. “And should we invite Ruby so she’ll leave in the middle and not say anything to us about that?”

Killian chuckles. “Well, maybe not. Maybe we’ll just go for fun.” He shrugs his shoulders. “Or a date.”

Emma rolls her eyes and shoves a hand at him. She takes the lead outside and he follows quickly after.

She’s hungry and they came together in Granny’s old convertible, which, Emma realizes as she steps out into the cold January evening, is how Ruby was able to abandon them.

She huffs a cold breath and Killian joins her where she stands, dumbly wishing she’d brought her Bug as a safety.

“Well, I suppose this is the part of the evening where I inform you that I have dinner plans for us and… I did drive here, if you’ll remember.”

Emma turns toward him and he grins at her before tossing his head toward his pick-up truck. “Come on, love.”

Half-begrudgingly, Emma joins Killian and he opens her door like a gentleman. It’s the first time she’s ever felt speechless about a door.

“So where are we going?” she asks him when he starts to drive.

Killian smiles easily. “You’ll see.”

“It’s going to be hard to keep it secret if we’re at some romantic restaurant together, you know.”

“Well, it’s a good thing we’re not going to a romantic restaurant together, then.”

///

Storybrooke has this insane fascination with food trucks. It’s apparently something that started when Emma was gone, curiously enough, but it’s something she hasn’t been able to experience just yet.

Until Killian pulls up to the little food truck called August’s Burgers and Fries. It’s parked out by town hall and it has cute little lights strung around it, illuminating a small seating area.

She lifts her eyebrows at Killian. “You know, I dated August in high school, so this could be weird.”

Killian scoffs. “It’s only weird if this is a date, which I’ve been informed it isn’t, so…”

Despite his words, she still sees playful teasing in his eyes. Emma keeps her mouth shut and gets out of the truck.

August doesn’t have a lot to say, except for the usual small talk one makes with their friendly ex. He’s happy to see her and he gives her a hopeful look when he sees Killian standing behind her.

She just smiles softly and nods her head once, hoping Killian doesn’t see.

August seems to approve. He smiles and nods in response.

“So, two patties, Emma?”

“You know me so well.”

August shrugs as he turns around to get started on her burgers. The whole truck smells incredible, and when she gets her food, she almost groans at how good it is.

They sit in Killian’s truck, because it’s too cold to sit outside, and they share fries because apparently they’re friendly enough for that.

“So why are you working at Granny’s if you could just convert paper documents to electronic ones all day long?” Killian asks teasingly.

Emma laughs, a true laugh, and shakes her head. “God, I don’t know. It’s been my dream to do that since I was a little kid.”

He laughs with her. “I imagined so. You do it with such fervor and grace.”

“Mm,” Emma hums as she has a bite of her burger. She savors the taste and stares outside for a few moments. “I used to want to be a cop like Dad. He took me on patrol with him a lot as a kid and I got it in my head that we could both be sheriff.”

Killian wears a gentle smile, reserved for moments like these- _moments_.

“And then I wanted to be a teacher like my mom, and then I think I wanted to be a veterinarian, but that phase ended when Mom took me to visit the animals and I realized I couldn’t take them home.”

Emma licks her lips. “And then I decided I wanted to be a freelance photographer, traveling the world and blogging about my trips and trying new things and living in my car. I did it for a while, but it wasn’t home.”

“I don’t think I’d take you for that sort,” Killian says.

“Yeah,” she sighs. “Now I’m back to where I started. I don’t know if I should be upset or not.”

Killian grabs for a fry and thoughtfully says, “I wouldn’t give up on your dream of being sheriff with your dad. I can absolutely see it.”

Emma leans back so her head rests on the headrest. She holds her half-eaten hamburger in one hand, but she doesn’t think she can finish. So instead, she stares at him.

“He thinks you’re bad for me,” Emma says. She wraps her burger up and settles it into the little paper tray it came in. She places it on the dash and draws her legs up under her bottom. “He warned me to stay away from you.”

Killian’s still smiling that gentle, warm smile. “So what’s your verdict then? Am I bad for you?”

Emma contemplates her answer for a few seconds. “No. I think you’re just right.”

“That’s good,” he replies softly. His eyes search her face. “Because I think so too.”

Emma mirrors his smile. “Is this a date?”

Killian takes a deep breath and shakes his head slightly. “I’d refer judgment in that area to you, love.”

Everything in her is yelling at her.

It’s not dating. They’re not dating. And they’re not secretly dating, either. But they’re pretending to be secretly dating, so maybe they are. Either way, it’s incredibly confusing.

She takes a fry from their shared container and nibbles on it while she considers an answer.

She doesn’t have one until they’re sitting in front of her neighbor’s house so to avoid getting caught by her parents.

Their food has been discarded and Killian helps her with her beanie, as if he _has_ to, and as he’s leaning in, she can smell dinner on his breath.

She meets his eyes as his fingers linger at the edge of her beanie, by her ears, and in a moment of daring, Emma whispers, “If you kiss me goodnight, it would be a date.”

He doesn’t move. He doesn’t breathe or blink.

“Would you like me to kiss you?”

Her nod is minute and her voice feels like breaking. “Yeah. Just a little.”

It takes him all of three seconds to swoop in and kiss her. She feels warmth blossoming in her chest and when he pulls away, she thinks he can feel it too.

A happy little smile fills his lips and she numbly thinks she really wants to make sure she sees this side of him more often.

“Goodnight, Emma.” He whispers, so gently she isn’t sure he’s spoken at all.

“Goodnight, Killian.”

///

“Is it awful that I’m enjoying sneaking around?” Killian asks as soon as her father leaves the station.

They’ve been doing this dance for a little over a week now, practically craving the time in the afternoon her father spends on patrol.

Killian slides his chair over to her desk and Emma smiles happily when he pushes out of his chair so he can kiss her with his hands cupping her face.

When he finishes kissing her, she licks her lips and holds her eyes closed so she can savor the moment. “I think it’s more of a tragedy that we’re sneaking around this close to Valentine’s Day.”

“I don’t think so.” Killian lifts his eyebrows at her when she opens her eyes. He pecks her lips once, twice, thrice, before falling into his chair.

“You don’t?” Emma teases, nudging his foot when he tosses it over his knee.

“Nah,” he scoffs. “It just means we get to blend in.”

Emma reaches for his hand and squeezes it. “I think he’s getting suspicious.”

“Hm,” Killian looks around, as if he’s caught on camera. “Well, what’s the worst thing that could happen?”

Emma glares at him. “I could lose my job here- _you_ would definitely, and I know you can’t do that.”

“I’m sure I could persuade him otherwise.” He flashes a grin at her. “I proved myself to you, didn’t I?”

Emma shakes her head. “Every day would be impossible. When my dad doesn’t like someone, he’s serious about it.”

She knows it’s not all about Killian. It’s about her past, too, and maybe that’s why she finds it easier to keep this a secret. Because if people know she’s with him, then maybe it would jinx it. Maybe this happy bubble they live in is only happy because it’s a secret.

Killian sucks in a breath. “Well, then I suppose we’ll be married in private as well. Our children will have come from storks, of course.” He leans back in his chair, releasing her hand so he can put both of his behind his head. “We’ll have to somehow balance you living at home and with me and the kids. Do you think I’d have to quit working to take care of them-?”

Emma smacks his chest. “Shut up. I just want to wait a little longer, okay?” She reaches up to drag her fingers through his fringe. “I like you. I don’t want to rush it.”

He takes her hand and kisses her fingertips before pulling it to his chest above his heart. “As you wish.”

He leans forward to capture her lips and she thinks for the first time in her whole life that this is the best relationship, with the best person- her person.

When they pull apart, Killian licks his lips and sits forward. “So, tonight, we’re going to Boston.”

“We are?” Emma laughs.

“Aye. We’re going to catch the train. It’ll be fun. I’ve got a friend who lives there. It’ll just be the weekend.”

Emma considers him, biting down on her lip. “A weekend where we can be ourselves in public? No secrets?” She giggles at the way his eyebrows dance excitedly. “I’m in.”

“Good,” he murmurs. “Because there are food trucks and an assortment of tourist locations we’re absolutely visiting.”

She chuckles and leans her head into her hand, her elbow braced on her desk, as she listens to him elaborate on his plans for their first trip as a couple.

///

There are a few things Emma remembers with fondness in her life, and one of those things is standing, and dancing, with Killian Jones at the back of a crowded bar, holding his hand while a local band in Boston played all night long.  

She can still feel the beat in her chest, still feel the incredibly light and happy feeling she’d felt getting to be in that moment with him.

They return to Storybrooke feeling blissful, albeit a little dismayed at the fact that they have to go back into hiding.

“Just for a little longer,” she promises Killian one night as they’re sitting on the deck of his ship wrapped in blankets and sipping hot chocolate. “I want to ease him into it. It might help if you tried to get his approval too you know.”

She nudges him with her shoulder and he rolls his eyes. “Emma, what do you think I’ve been doing? I just think he doesn’t like me because of my first day in town.”

Emma narrows her eyes at him. “What happened on your first day in town?”

Killian has a sip of cocoa and licks his lips. “Stripped down to my underwear and proposed to a lamp post. You know the story.”

Emma laughs, she can’t help it.

“I’d appreciate it if you’d quit laughing about it,” Killian says dryly.

He smiles regardless, his laughter mixing with hers before he quiets her with a smacking kiss. He sets his cocoa down on the deck and she does too so she can grab at his shoulders when he moves her backward.

“I’ve never really had a guy I’ve been this nervous to bring home,” Emma tells him quietly as they stare at one another a few moments later. “I think it’s because I can see a future with you.”

This time, when he kisses her it’s sweet and emotional. He feels the same way. He doesn’t have to say anything for her to know that.

He takes his fingers through her hair and she thinks about the mistakes in her past and how stupid she was, trusting Neal. But Killian isn’t him.

She knows everything is different with him. She hasn’t had the butterflies she feels when she’s with him with anyone else, and she hasn’t ever seen anyone stare at her with such conviction before.

“February thirteenth,” he says. “That’s when we’ll tell them. Is that okay?”

Emma searches his eyes. “That’s soon.”

“Not too soon. We’ve got time.”

She stays quiet. “Okay. February thirteenth.”

///

On February thirteenth, Ruby has a five-dollar bill in her hand when Emma walks into work.

It’s been a month of secrecy, but Emma doesn’t really regret it. They’re going to talk to her parents tonight over dinner, which her mother has been anxiously bustling around about for about a week and her father keeps questioning her about who it is.

She’s fairly certain they both know it’s Killian, because one night she came home from dinner on his boat and she was wearing one of his shirts because of an accidental hot chocolate spill.

“Guess who just won a bet?” Ruby asks, lifting her eyebrows.

Emma tries to be disinterested when the door opens and Killian enters. He glances around the room briefly before heading to his spot in the corner booth.

Turning back to Ruby, she asks nonchalantly, “Who’d you win a bet with?”

Ruby’s lips curl into a devious grin. “Just about everyone in town, actually.”

“Really?” Emma asks, amazed. “How’d you pull that off?”

Ruby shrugs. “Just a little bit of magic.”

Emma hums. She doesn’t want to know any other details, so she starts for the kitchen.

“Don’t you want to know what for?”

“Not entirely.”

There’s a brief pause where Emma thinks she might be getting off easy, but then Ruby follows her into the kitchen and corners her.

“It started a little over a month ago.” Ruby explains. “When you showed up.”

Emma slowly ties her apron on. “Okay.”

Ruby shrugs and holds her head against her shoulder. “I bet everyone in the bar that night that you would hook up with Killian.”

Emma shakes her head, her eyes widening. “You told people?”

“No,” Ruby says. “You guys are obvious. Do you know how many times I’ve denied people the truth?” She rolls her eyes. “All of the laughing and the walks around town- honestly, Emma, if you wanted it to be a secret you shouldn’t have gone on a date in town either.”

Emma scoffs. “We’re not that obvious. I think you’re just saying people noticed because _you_ noticed.”

She brushes past Ruby to get into the diner. She walks toward Killian at his table and Ruby blurts out, “I set it up.”

Emma frowns and spins around. “What are you talking about? What did you set up?”

Ruby takes a breath and nervously fidgets with a pen. She looks guilty, shaking her head.

“When you came back to town I knew you and Killian would be a good match, but I also knew you wouldn’t willingly take my advice and date him. You know, after what happened…” Ruby pauses. “So, lucky for me I had him coming in every morning. I had Granny assign you morning shift and I planted some ideas in your head…” She shrugs. “I knew you were plotting against me at first. Why do you think I went with you on that awkward obviously a date, date that you were so sure wasn’t?”

Emma’s jaw falls open in shock.

“I left early because I wanted you to enjoy your time together.” Ruby pauses and takes a heavy breath, releasing it quickly. “And I… I made a deal with Killian.”

“What was it?” Emma asks, just this side of exploding with anger. She keeps her voice quiet and steady, somehow.

Ruby nervously bites on her lip. “I know he likes you, Emma. It’s not because of anything I did-”

“What was it?” Emma demands again, this time a little louder.

Ruby stares at her. “I… I gave him the idea to take you to Boston. Away from everyone. So you could see what it was like, being real with him.” She pauses. “I know that it wasn’t real for you before that night at the movies. He told me so before and I told him to bring his truck-”

“What else did he tell you?” Emma asks, feeling as if her whole relationship has been a lie. Just like before, with Neal.

“Nothing,” Ruby promises quietly. “Emma, the last guy you were with broke your heart. I was there. I saw it. I knew you wouldn’t do this willingly, so I had to-”

Emma scoffs and shakes her head. “You didn’t have to do anything, Ruby. I don’t need you to meddle in my life in order for me to find happiness.”

“You left!” Ruby shouts, drawing complete silence from the patrons sitting in the diner. “You left in the middle of the night and I didn’t get to say goodbye. And you never said a word to me.” Ruby pauses. “What did you want me to do, Emma? You show up, clearly on the run. I wanted to keep you here this time.”

Emma shakes her head. “So you set me up with Killian? And placed _bets_ with people about whether or not it would work out?”

“You’re here and you’re happy.” Ruby says. “That’s what the bet was. People thought you were going to leave, but I had to jump in and stop that from happening.”

Emma looks around the room for the first time since the argument began. People begin to avert their gaze, as if ashamed, and the second she lands on Killian, he seems deeply troubled.

“Did you know?”

He stands up and crosses the room toward her. “I knew a little. I didn’t know people in this town had such awful taste, though.” He scowls and faces the room. “You should all be ashamed of yourselves. What business is it of yours, what Emma does?”

Emma feels anxious and dizzy. The room starts spinning. She stares at Ruby for a few long moments.

“I have to-”

She doesn’t finish the thought, instead hurrying towards the back hall, where she opens up the ladies room door and closes it harshly. She locks it, and then sits against it.

The tears come when she thinks about how she got here.

///

There are way too many text messages and missed call notifications on her phone when she decides to open it.

Killian takes half of the blame while Ruby takes the other.

But there’s only one person she wants to talk to.

“Emma?” her mom’s voice makes her smile just a little. “What’s wrong, honey?”

Emma takes a heavy breath. “I… nothing, I just needed to hear your voice.”

“Oh…” her mom pauses. “Well, if you need to come see me, I’m not doing anything.”

Emma laughs breathlessly. “No, it’s okay. I just…” She sucks in a heavy breath. “Got into a fight with Ruby and with my boyfriend.”

“Both of them at once? Must be tough.”

“Yeah.” Emma traces circles on the tiled floor of the bathroom. She bites at her lip as she tries to think of something to say.

“I don’t think Ruby means to hurt you,” she says quietly. “I think she means well. She’s just…”

“Meddling?”

“Meddling. It’s her specialty.”

Emma laughs. “Yeah.”

There’s a moment of silence between them.

“Is it Killian?”

Emma contemplates keeping it a secret, but she figures that since it’s February thirteenth, she can go ahead and say, “Yeah.”

“I figured.”

“How?”

Her mother chuckles. “I’m your mother. It’s my job.”

“Oh.”

“I approve.”

Emma feels herself smile. “Thanks. But I don’t know if we’re gonna make it.”

“Emma, you always do this.” Her mother sighs heavily. “You close up. Don’t. You can make it. Just try.”

///

Killian is the first person she sees. It’s surprising, considering she’d fully expected to see Ruby sitting outside of the bathroom. Instead, it’s him.

He scrambles to his feet at the sight of her, looking shy like a little boy, and sad, like he’s worried this is it for them.

“Hey,” he says. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what I knew and what she knew.”

Emma shakes her head. “I… it’s okay.”

His eyes widen a little. “Really?”

She nods. “I mean, it’s stupid, but yeah. It’s okay.”

They stare at each other and she shrugs her shoulders pathetically. Killian steps forward and wraps his arms around her. She easily folds into him, pressing her chin against his shoulder and closing her eyes.

“I would’ve run if it weren’t for you,” she admits. “She was right.”

She holds him closer. She hopes he knows just how much he means to her.

He sighs shakily. “Then I guess you need to talk to Ruby, hm?”

“I guess so.”

///

Ruby’s sitting outside, looking freezing cold as she wraps her coat closer but continues shivering anyway. Emma sighs and sits beside her.

“Hey,” she says, elbowing her elbow.

Ruby looks over at her. “Hey.”

Emma takes a breath. “I forgive you, but you need to promise me you’re done with the betting, because honestly-”

Ruby surges forward and wraps her arms around Emma’s neck. Emma smiles slightly and reaches up to pat Ruby’s back.

“No more.”

Emma grins. “No more?”

Ruby pulls away and confirms with a wobbly smile, “No more.”

“Good.”

Ruby laughs, her eyes teary. “Did I ruin it? Are you guys okay?”

“Yeah, we’re fine.” Emma promises. “I think…” Emma closes her eyes and she can’t keep from smiling. “I think he’s the one.”

Ruby’s grinning when Emma opens her eyes again and she giggles. “I knew it. I didn’t even need to bet you a hundred dollars.”

Emma laughs. “No, you didn’t.” She swallows. “But thank you for pushing us together. He makes me happy.”

“That’s great,” Ruby smiles warmly. “I’m really happy for you.”

///

“Dad, he’s going to be here at six. That’s when I told him to come. You can sit down for a few minutes.” Emma says, popping a tomato from the salad into her mouth.

Her mother laughs happily from her spot at the stove. “Honey, I haven’t seen you so anxious to meet one of Emma’s boyfriends before.”

Her father slumps down at the kitchen island and sighs. “Well, I have a feeling about this one.”

Emma raises an eyebrow. “Good or bad?”

“Good,” her father confirms with a small smile. “You’ve been humming a lot. It’s a good sign.”

Emma can’t help but laugh as she bites at her lip. She’s nervous, but she knows it’ll be okay in the long run. If her dad can see past the mistakes in her past, surely he can see past Killian’s mistakes.

As Emma brings the salad bowl to the table, the doorbell rings.

“I’ll get it!” she says. “Dad, stay put. I need to acclimate him.”

Her father humphs and grumbles under his breath, but does as she requests. She hurries down the long hall leading to the door and whisks it open easily.

Killian’s standing on the other side bundled up, but carrying a plastic tupperware.

“What’s that?” she asks.

He looks down at his hand and laughs once. “Well, it’s good to see you too, my dear. Lovely weather-”

Emma rolls her eyes and yanks him by the sleeve of his coat inside. He laughs with her and says, “Cookies. I figured I should bring something. Made them myself.”

She tilts her head, amused. “Really?”

“Aye.” He cracks a grin that makes her want to kiss him, so she does, but only briefly.

She licks her lips and holds out her hands to take the container from him. “Okay, so welcome to my parent’s house. This is the foyer. Hang your coat and take off your shoes or my mom will probably keel over.”

“We can’t have that.” Killian says as he slips his coat off.

He’s wearing the button-up she came home wearing one night and it makes her blush just a little.

“How’s your father?”

Emma sighs. Killian steps out of his shoes. “He’s anxious, but a good anxious, so that’s good?”

He nods. “Yeah. That does sound good.” He grins and straightens out, looking down at himself. “Okay, how about it, love? Am I ready?”

Emma examines him and hums warmly. She slips a hand against his chest and kisses him again.

“Now you’re ready.”

Killian takes his container from her and she grins happily when he extends his free hand.

“Mom? Dad?” she calls out as they walk the hall toward the living area. “I want you to meet Killian.” She can’t keep the smile from her lips when she adds, “My boyfriend.”


End file.
